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VALE OF GLAMORGAN BOCCIA PLAYERS SUPPORTED BY LEGACY GRANT

By Elaina W in Community - 30/08/2017

Boccia players in the Vale are being given a helping hand by a state-of-the-art ramp funded by the organisation that manages the council’s leisure centres.

The carbon fibre ramp at the New Horizons Day Centre in Barry has been purchased with a £1,500 community fund grant from Legacy Leisure, which manages Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit facilities on behalf of Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Around 20 centre users play the bowls-like Paralympic sport of boccia and among those to benefit from the ramp will be 42-year-old, Mark Roderick who, despite only playing seriously for 18 months, has his sights set on competing in the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.

Heather Morgan, Legacy Leisure’s operations manager, said: “Mark, who has rheumatoid arthritis, is a truly inspirational individual. He competes in the BC3 class, which is for those who are unable to launch the leather balls using their hands, and has previously relied on a drain pipe and a home-made ramp.

“Mark is incredibly determined and is already achieving success at national level. We’re delighted that the new ramp will help boccia players like him to realise their full potential.”

Opportunities manager at New Horizons Day Centre, Louise Payne, said: “Although the centre is run by the local authority we rely on grants and fundraising initiatives to buy the specialised gym equipment that we need so it’s fantastic to receive this grant from Legacy Leisure.”